General

(Lebanon): .USAID and the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative NGO (LRI-NGO) established the Livelihoods in Forestry project to support sustainable forestry practices and wildfire management in economically and environmentally degraded regions of Lebanon, and to establish models for economic forestry and forest-related rural tourism. FY 2018 funds will be used to continue supporting: community-led forest protection and conservation activities in the Rachaya, North, and Shouf social and environmental corridors; the establishment of the first national forestry park in Lebanon; and the introduction of agroforestry for sustainable land management. Over the coming year, the project will plant more than 100,000 native trees, create over 300 seasonal jobs, and preserve and improve the natural and environmental conditions in more than 30 communities..

General

(Philippines): .The Philippines is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the negative impacts of climate change. It was ranked as the ninth most at-risk country in the 2020 World Risk Index. In addition to vulnerability to shocks and stresses, the Philippines is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in the East Asia and Pacific Region. In 2017, the World Bank projects that by 2050, around 102 million, or greater than 65 percent of the country's total population will be residing in cities..With earmarked Adaptation and SL funds, the Climate Resilient Cities (CRC) activity will advance climate resilience by strengthening the adaptive capacity of select coastal cities in the country to adapt to, mitigate, and manage the impacts of climate change and disasters. Urban areas are vulnerable to climate change due to the increasing population that are exposed to climate impacts such as increased frequency of extreme weather events, sea level rise, rising temperature, and extreme rainfall. CRC will: enhance the capacity of cities to understand, use, and communicate climate data, including vulnerability and risk data which can be mainstreamed in urban planning and management; improve capacity of cities to access and manage climate financing to support local climate adaptation actions; and enable cities to implement or upscale innovative measures to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage the environment. CRC will contribute to reducing GhG emissions by advancing natural climate solutions such as sustainable land management, improved land use planning, and reforestation. CRC will engage both national and city governments, non-government organizations, the private sector, and the academia to improve the collective management of the growth and development in selected areas. The activity aims to contribute to reducing climate vulnerability and recurrent need for humanitarian assistance, and create momentum and progress towards a zero-carbon, climate-resilient future

General

(Madagascar): Mikajy provides site-based assistance to address the drivers of key threats to biodiversity in two geographic priority zones (Menabe and Mamabaie). It advances biodiversity conservation in forest and coastal ecosystems, strengthens natural resource management and land tenure security among vulnerable populations, promotes sustainable economic growth in rural communities, and contributes to reduced Global Greenhouse Gas emissions and increased carbon sequestration. Mikajy is critical to achieving the Mission's Country Development Cooperation Strategy objective on sustainable economic opportunities, particularly the Intermediate Result "Natural resources sustainably managed" and supports the foreign policy priority on promoting climate security and resilience...With FY 2021 funds, Mikajy will empower protected area managers and communities to improve forest and marine area management through increasing patrolling, supporting firefighting efforts, and combating wildlife trafficking. Mikajy will contribute to the national reforestation initiative through protected area and mangrove restoration and community-managed agroforestry. Mikajy will provide technical assistance and grants to establish locally-managed marine areas, strengthen the fisheries management plan legal framework to include local "dina" (traditional arbitrage system), and provide training for sustainable fisheries management. It will expand membership in certified vanilla cooperatives and engage in other value chains with private sector partners to diversify incomes and build community resilience. Mikaly will prioritize securing land and resources tenure with decentralized natural resource management governance and civil society empowerment. Mikajy will engage women and youth in income generating activities through village saving loans associations, youth integration training, and conservation-friendly activities including tree nurseries and market gardening...